Many designers become managers for the wrong reasons, often incentivized by their companies to gain greater impact, influence, and compensation. However, people management is a vastly different job than being a designer, requiring a different set of skills and responsibilities. To help designers grow without having to drop their passion for design, companies can institute two parallel career growth paths: one focusing on people management and another on leadership as an individual contributor, often titled staff or principal designers. These roles require clarity around expectations and responsibilities, with varying levels of influence, autonomy, and leadership across different designer levels. By adopting these parallel paths, companies can help designers choose their career tracks for the right reasons and do work that they love while still being continuously challenged and growing in their careers.